How does the "drop in any mailbox, return postage guaranteed" thing work
November 23, 2019 8:11 AM Subscribe
I saw an old key ring at a garage sale - on the key ring was printed "Drop in any mailbox, return postage guaranteed" and then the address of the association (in this case was a community group, functionally a club). This made me curious - what would happen if I did that today? Could I print that on my key ring and add my home address and just get billed for the postage if my keys were mailed back to me? Very curious about logistics and how this works from a "how stuff works" perspective.
You wouldn't want to put your address on them, that's just inviting the potentially wrong finder into your home.
posted by mareli at 9:55 AM on November 23, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by mareli at 9:55 AM on November 23, 2019 [8 favorites]
On the practical side, the keys won't be delivered to you. Instead you'll get a card informing you that you have an item that has due postage. You'd then go to the local post office to pay the postage and pickup the keys.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 10:29 AM on November 23, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 10:29 AM on November 23, 2019 [2 favorites]
If you want to do this just put a relative's or friend's address on the tag.
If you live in Canada The War Amps (an amputee service charity) offers coded tags for keys that they use to send found keys to the tag's registered owner. In cooperation with Canada Post the service, both tag distribution and mailed return, is provided free of cost (though they use it for fund raising):
posted by Mitheral at 10:50 AM on November 23, 2019 [6 favorites]
If you live in Canada The War Amps (an amputee service charity) offers coded tags for keys that they use to send found keys to the tag's registered owner. In cooperation with Canada Post the service, both tag distribution and mailed return, is provided free of cost (though they use it for fund raising):
How Key Tags WorkSince amputee veterans started the Key Tag Service in 1946, more than 1.5 million sets of lost keys have been returned to their owners!
- Attach a confidentially coded War Amps key tag to your key ring. It is registered only to your name and address.
- If you lose your keys, the finder can call the toll-free number on the back of the tag or place them in any mailbox in Canada.
- The War Amps will return your keys to you by courier, free of charge.
posted by Mitheral at 10:50 AM on November 23, 2019 [6 favorites]
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posted by zennie at 9:04 AM on November 23, 2019 [3 favorites]